Characterizing Early Childhood Education Programs for Poor and Middle-Class Children.

Stipek, Deborah; And Others

Instructional practices and social climates of 62 preschool and kindergarten programs serving poor and middle-class children were observed. Analyses revealed strong relationships between the nature of instruction and the social climate. Programs were divided into three types: (1) didactic programs, in which academic skills were stressed in a relatively negative social context; (2) child-centered programs, which deemphasized basic academic skills and offered a positive social context; and (3) intermediate programs, which were positioned between the other two program types. Teachers' beliefs about appropriate education for young childrn were associated with the kind of program in which they taught. Teachers' level of education and experience, and school policies regarding formal evaluation, retention, and testing, were not. Didactic programs were more likely to be private than public and more likely to be attended by middle-class children than by poor children. (RH)